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Latest Comments

1. 

   Surveyor said at: November 26, 2009, 6:05 pm

   You forgot to thank President Obama for beginning to repair the lasts 8 years of doom annd gloom!!

   Posted in: Amazing thanks (1) Comments

2. 

   Surveyor said at: November 26, 2009, 5:49 pm

   I do not see the logic? First you say the recession was caused by loans to people who could not afford them then you state drop the prices by $5,000 and the masses can then afford them? I doubt a $5,000 reduction will do anything to the market. The housing crash was caused by greed by all parties, homeowners, appraisors, loan officers, banks, those that bundled them up as a security and wallstreet brokers.

   Posted in: Let house prices crash (1) Comments

3. 

   Surveyor said at: November 26, 2009, 4:59 pm

   LOL. What are the chances of two newby posters commenting one after another in opposition to the boogey man PTA!! LOL Then throw in that well known name ACORN and there we have it, the liberals are taking ver over schools! LOL I doubt "Professor" has nay idea what ACORN does for communities. You are right though Sir John, we need that Beck fellow to get on it right away. Did you ever hear Beck stating how sick and tired he was hearing the victims and victims families of 9/11 whining? Then he has the balls to say I wish the nation could be like we were on 0/12! Is he for real. The nation wanted to kill somone, anyone no matter what the evidence on 9/12. Pitiful just like these "the PTA is the boogeman" posters. Still smarting after the voucher defeat?

   Posted in: Orem PTA leaders concerned about lower participation (4) Comments

4. 

   Sir John the Heretic said at: November 26, 2009, 4:59 pm

   cottonheadedninnymuggins It's apparent that you're confusing, God, morality, and spirituality with religion. The three exist independently of religion.

   Posted in: Gay Rights vs. Faith: Anti-discrimination ordinances in Salt Lake City designed to protect homosexuals create new discrimination against individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs. (129) Comments

5. 

   cottonheadedninnymuggins said at: November 26, 2009, 2:54 pm

   Gays and lesbians already cohabit. But that's a different issue from whether the state should philosophically and pragmatically support one type of marriage over another. Marriage seems a legitimate government interest to me because I'm old-fashioned. I connect these dots this way: "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage" -- to parents who feel immense pressure from the social order to keep the unit together. If we want to upset the ancient apple cart and say "First comes self-love, then comes gay marriage, then comes state money for an unwanted kid from a failed heterosexual relationship (but only if we want one)," then I'm not sure where it all leads. There are just too many unanswered questions for my simplistic mind. For one, IF sexual orientation is a choice, then others may be induced to choose it. Therefore, if "morality" is a proper state interest, it is proper for the state to make moral judgments based on that interest. Refusal -- or to say that morality belongs to individuals only and never to groups of individuals organized as the state -- is a philosophical dead end. If "we the people" exist, then what does that mean in a diverse culture? Can minorities tyrannize majorities to the detriment of society's long-term viability? If there is no God concept underpinning moral behavior, then I suppose the lament of the Queen lyric is exactly right: "Nothing really matters to me." Life has no value, because "value" assumes an a priori moral construct of some kind. Sex means nothing; the population of the earth ebbs and flows; people kill and are killed; nations rise and fall; women weep; children suffer; the earth eventually gets sucked into the sun; and the end result is the silence of space. All devoid of any morality. That's one cosmology, I suppose. But I don't like it much. It doesn't track with humanity's most beautiful hopes because it is ultimately hopeless. Broadly speaking, it seems to me, morality (read religion) offers a better way of completing our collective march -- generation after endless generation -- to the grave. Humanity has seen the rise of religion over thousands of years, with all its peripheral problems to be sure, but with generally positive effects (I even grudgingly include Islam). Now we're witnessing religion's systematic destruction. I don't believe the planet will be better off without it. And there's really no way to ride the fence in the long run. The Egyptians lasted 4,000 years because of the stability of their common cosmology. Can America last that long? I doubt it.

   Posted in: Gay Rights vs. Faith: Anti-discrimination ordinances in Salt Lake City designed to protect homosexuals create new discrimination against individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs. (129) Comments

6. 

   petersenrj said at: November 26, 2009, 11:02 am

   When Mr. Lampropolus ran for governor I was very impressed with him. Sounds like an interesting race. I am sure Senator Bennett is a fine man, but I was so disappointed that between 200-2006 the Republicans seemed unable to simplify taxes, improve our health care system, etc.

   Posted in: Merit Medical CEO to challenge US Sen. Bennett (1) Comments

7. 

   Korn75 said at: November 26, 2009, 10:49 am

   This is sad. Life can be taken away so quickly. My thoughts are with his family.

   Posted in: Man stuck upside-down in Nutty Putty Cave dies (1) Comments

8. 

   petersenrj said at: November 26, 2009, 10:37 am

   Motorcycle deaths surpassed 5,000 a year in 2008. It is hard to believe it is safer to ride a motorcycle than a car. Wearing leathers and helmet helps.

   Posted in: A special Thanksgiving for Lamb (1) Comments

9. 

   petersenrj said at: November 26, 2009, 10:28 am

   I have to still hope that some day, I can purchase solar panels at a price that will allow me to 1]run my electic car, 2]power my home 3]produce some extra juice I can sell to the power company. And pay for it in less than 10 years of savings. WE wouldn't need the $700 billion oil from foreign sources,and no pollution. In the meantime why not use our own natural gas?

   Posted in: Climategate: Scandal rocks the science world (1) Comments

10. 

    Sir John the Heretic said at: November 26, 2009, 10:06 am

    Sounds like you two need to call Glenn Beck, and alert him to the situation. I'm sure he'll be glad to warm up his chalkboard.

    Posted in: Orem PTA leaders concerned about lower participation (4) Comments

11. 

    Room Mother said at: November 26, 2009, 8:53 am

    It is entirely accurate that the PTA has a very liberal political agenda. Look at their website; they are government lobbyists. Their agenda is for more and more federal government money and control over our schools, something I oppose. The PTA in Utah - illegally - turns our public school buildings into "campaign headquarters" during elections on education issues. This is against Utah election laws. I have seen it with my own eyes. The PTA partners up with the extremely liberal UEA and members of the State Board of Education to push for legislation that is increasingly taking education away from parents and into mediocrity and failure. I have seen the PTA spread outright lies to punish legislators who don't follow their agenda. I have seen the PTA utterly ignore the wishes of parents and instead, cowtow to district educrats and administrators. I have seen PTA leaders turn a deaf ear and refuse to meet with parents and community organizations which advocate policies that the school district opposes. The PTA is an active lobbying arm in pushing the government-knows-best agenda that is destroying our public schools. Vast numbers of the most involved and active parents have given up on regular public schools and are working in the new charter schools where they are in true parent-teacher organization (PTO's) which don't follow the PTA's rubber-stamp, liberal political agenda. P.S. My grandma was a PTA president, and I'm sure she is rolling in her grave over the liberal policies the PTA now pushes!

    Posted in: Orem PTA leaders concerned about lower participation (4) Comments

12. 

    Professor said at: November 26, 2009, 8:14 am

    "There is also a perception that the National PTA has a liberal agenda." It is not a perception. The state and and national PTA has a documented liberal agenda. It has become an ACORN type organization that uses children as a pawn in the progressive political agenda. Leaders of the state and national PTA are behind the new "Ethics" initiative that creates an entire new branch of state government is not accountable to anyone. The plan is for the PTA to push this initiative in the schools via children, teachers and parents. If the PTA wants to grown, ditch the liberal agenda. If they want to fail. Keep it.

    Posted in: Orem PTA leaders concerned about lower participation (4) Comments

13. 

    Sir John the Heretic said at: November 26, 2009, 8:06 am

    Council Alumnus I made made views on Turley clear in other post. By the way nice try on the defection, from what I said in my post. Would you like some cheese with your whine?

    Posted in: Wake up Provo (4) Comments

14. 

    Hanger said at: November 26, 2009, 5:46 am

    s

    Posted in: $1M grant to aid Pleasant Grove's blue energy project (2) Comments

15. 

    Hanger said at: November 26, 2009, 5:45 am

    Sound like a pipe dream to me.

    Posted in: $1M grant to aid Pleasant Grove's blue energy project (2) Comments

16. 

    Council Alumnus said at: November 25, 2009, 11:53 pm

    Sir John - Very interesting that you only include those 3 council members. Of course, everyone knows that Steve Turley is a saint so you wouldn't want his name in your commentary.

    Posted in: Wake up Provo (4) Comments

17. 

    janana said at: November 25, 2009, 10:52 pm

    Seems to me that when a council member is making this type of decision it is important to consider worst case scenarios. I mean, if a dance studio is OK in a residential area as a "school" (oh come on, it's a business not a school) then how about my artistic pony tailed son opening a tattoo parlor/school in my empty basement. There would be far less traffic and the signage for the school would be very colorful- skulls and hearts I imagine. Hopefully the council will look out for the citizens. On the other hand, if the business owners will just be patient I am sure the new council will approve it. They seem highly incensed by zoning laws.

    Posted in: Highland considers dance studio in residential neighborhood (1) Comments

18. 

    Personality #148 said at: November 25, 2009, 9:42 pm

    I do not think the legalization of SSM will adversely affect the reproduction rate in these United States. I would have married my current wife of 25 years and would have had my 3 kids even if I could have had a SSM. Hell, I could even have married my wife and had NO kids, but what's the point of that? I hear you. But I do not think the state has an interest in "marriage" as a religious sacrament. That's the case I frquently hear made against SSM - "marriage" is a sacrament and must not be "befouled." Your position is different. Truth is, though, gay peers hit on me frequently in high school and in university, but straight people like me shrug it off - in fact, I was flattered. But totally disinterested. Nevertheless, i don't believe the legalization of SSM will increaee significantly the numbers of same-sex couples. I believe - admittedly without empirical evidence - that gays and lesbians already cohabit without the SSM license - getting the license is the icing on the cake, but isn't the inducement to taste the cake (if you get my drift).

    Posted in: Gay Rights vs. Faith: Anti-discrimination ordinances in Salt Lake City designed to protect homosexuals create new discrimination against individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs. (129) Comments

19. 

    Cougarbib2 said at: November 25, 2009, 9:13 pm

    I went to high school with Craig Drury iirc. He was a stud on the basketball court. I transferred to another school in 1968. Was he at Provo High School in the late 60s?

    Posted in: DICKSON: Haws is prepared for this level of hoops (1) Comments

20. 

    cottonheadedninnymuggins said at: November 25, 2009, 7:58 pm

    But Personality #148, there ARE good, ancient reasons for government 'sticking its nose"into marriage. The promulgation of the next genertion is a fundamental state interest at several levels, not the least of which is economics. You need bodies to have a growing economy, and replacement of bodies to even exist as a nation. So the fundamental issue of reproduction is at the very core of national interest. For static replacement (a no-growth scenario) you must have replacement fertility rate of 2.1, which is where the U.S. has been for 40 years -- i.e. 1/1 female replacement. The only reason the U.S. population has grown is that people are living longer and there is substantial immigration. So if the state has a legitimate interest in reproduction for reasons of its own continued economic health and survival, then it follows that it must have an interest in the quality of that next generation. For thousands of years, the standard has been that the best results emerge from heterosexual, two-parent environments. Therefore, government is within its scope to encourage that, and to discourage less ideal arrangements. At this point the howling begins -- that there are heterosexual families that are disasters, and which deliver far less than any ideal, and that are even destructive of society. It is argued that a good gay couple raising a child is better than an wife-beating, child-abusing alcoholic. This is true, but it evades the core issue. Just because the best statistical route doesn't always pan out, that's no reason for the state to encourage a less than ideal route. It is in the state's best iterest, statistically speaking, to emphasize the family configuration most likely to produce the best outcome. Now let's look at the "cleanup-the-mess" squad -- say adoptive parents and would-be gay parents. Of those two scenarios, the best statistical outcome, according to long tradition, is going to be the heterosexual, two-parent home. I say "tradition" instead of "data" because there is no way to make any kind of long-term data comparison with outcomes supplied by gay parents because this is such a new phenomenon. It may be that in the long run gay parents will raise (obviously not "produce," since gays are only the cleanup squad) generations just as healthy and productive as heterosexuals. It may be that the panic is misplaced. But nobody knows. Gay parenthood could well turn out to be a long-term disaster when placed in the 1,000-year span as opposed to the ridiculously small span of "next year" or "ten years from now." In this view, gay parenthood is a risk on its face. So a conservative person is reluctant to take the risk, while others are willing to throw thousands of years of human experience to the wind based on short-term evidence, and very little of that.

    Posted in: Gay Rights vs. Faith: Anti-discrimination ordinances in Salt Lake City designed to protect homosexuals create new discrimination against individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs. (129) Comments